Wedding Bells, And then More
by talking-eye
Summary: Post Season 2. Sequel to C for Coffee. Mainly on Burke and Cristina, with some Bailey, George, George, and the Chief. AlexIzzie free. Reviews appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Grey's Anatomy. ABC and Shonda Rhimes own them. Reviews please!

**Hang in there for the suspense—no sad ending I promise.**

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Nobody thought summer would pass by so quickly. When the Chief suggested sending Burke away to a specialist in Switzerland for treatment and rehabilitation; and when Cristina was told—forced would be a better word—to stay, everyone thought their relationship was over.

Then the baseball season ended and the sleeveless vests were replaced by turtle-necks. They all knew it was autumn once again.

Cristina picked up rumors from the nurse station that Burke would soon be back. _I was, and probably still is, his girlfriend, and yet I have to hear about him from others. Great._

"Why don't you ever call him?" Meredith asked one morning as she saw Cristina fiddling with Burke's surgical cap in the locker room. Self-absorbed as she was, Meredith wanted to make sure Cristina was fine, for she did not want anything to go wrong during this important moment in Cristina's life.

Cristina, still looking at the cap, thought hard before giving an answer. "We're busy people." Even Cristina felt that did not sound too convincing.

"When are you gonna tell him?" Meredith asked, wondering why everyone else in the world could not be as open and direct as she was, telling everyone everything about herself every single moment.

"He doesn't have to know. It's not like I'm pregnant," Cristina continued with a subtle tint of grudge in her voice, "if he missed me, he could have called or whatever. HE was the one who said he'd be too busy to entertain phone calls."

"_Be nice. I'll call you when I have time." _ That was what Burke left her with before leaving.

Well, not really. He also blew her a warm gentle kiss on her forehead, which Cristina had been trying very hard, too hard, to replay in her head every morning. At first, she could feel the intense heat. After a few weeks, it became lukewarm. After one whole summer, it has almost been washed off by the cool Seattle breeze. _Whatever. I have bigger things to worry about now._

"Cristina, you've gotta tell him."

"Fine." Cristina mumbled. "Time to go before Bailey shot us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Can't wait to throw out Ch. 2 as well. Hope I didn't kill the suspense.**

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"Yang, you're off today." Bailey hurled the remark at Cristina matter-of-factly.

"Dr. Bailey, why me? We're both 2 minutes late. Why am I grounded but not Meredith?" Cristina wrecked her brain to come up with better defense before Bailey cut her short.

"Yang, I'm doing you a favor. Do I look like someone who hands out favor everyday? Do I look like someone who likes being questioned for being nice? Now, disappear before I get angry or you'll be off for a week. You hear me, Yang?" Bailey's words were swinging in the air in a very Nazi way.

Cristina wanted to fight back but Meredith signaled her to go.

She knew people were being kind to her, but she did not want to take care of the mess ahead of her and she had been trying to stay at the hospital as much as possible just so she could escape from the big day.

"Hey, Cristina. Congratulations!" The Chief stopped to say hi.

"Thanks, Chief. There really is nothing to be happy about." Cristina's obvious annoyance did not dissolve the glow on Richard's face.

"Cristina, isn't this your first time? I'm sure it'll be exciting." Richard was almost lost in his thought about the flowers, the choir and the cake. Back in his youth, he and Adele only had a very small ceremony.

"Whatever." _Why can't these people understand that I am a surgeon and I have a life. This isn't something I look forward to. Not the least bit._

Cristina hated weddings, especially when she had to be part of it. The last time her Mom re-married in that fancy synagogue, Cristina was barely three. Helen threw her out to the backyard because Cristina could not stop giggling when she saw the long beard and funny hats of Saul's relatives. Little Cristina had a lot of fun playing with the Rabbi's puppy, until it got rough and tore her dress. Her mom almost disowned her for ruining the ceremony.

"Cristina, say hi to your mom for me. I hope you'll find a nice dress for the occasion." Richard smiled.

Cristina swore to God she would never shop with her mother, who made her wear pink all through her childhood years and enrolled her in charm school.

She wished Burke were there to help. He knew what suited her the most. _Although, I am not even telling him about this, nor is he telling me when he'll be back. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Now the suspense is subsiding. Things are going too fast! No more updates till the weekend or my boss will fire me.**

_!Bienvenidos a Seattle! _

The sign at the airport made his eyes sparkle. The cheese and chocolate in Switzerland had been great, as was the clean air and its tranquility, but Burke did not find it fun being in the midst of French-, German-, and Italian-speaking people for almost half a year when he spoke neither of those.

He could not wait till he was home again. He could imagine how messy his apartment would have become after all these months. He knew Cristina. He still remembered the first day he was released from the hospital, he came home finding his shirts burnt, his carpet soaking with soap water, and his bed was buried under unfolded laundry.

He knew, or at least hoped, that Cristina missed him as much as he did her. _I hope she isn't mad that I never called, although she could have called! _

Burke was not really bothered by the fact that she did not call, however. After all, he told her not to, because it would only make him miss her more, yearning for her so much so that he might quit the rehab program or she the internship. Had it been the old Cristina, he would not have worried about that, but he still remembered the look on her face after he was shot. He did not want her to do anything drastic and ruin her budding career.

George promised to pick him up at the airport, but it had already been two hours since his flight landed.

"Hi, Dr. Burke. I'm sorry. Callie caught the stomach flu. I have to stay with her. If you want, I could ask Izzie to pick you up."

"Oh, no, George. I'll manage. I don't want to cause a fuss." _Not Izzie._ Burke knew how much contempt Cristina held against Stevens. If Cristina found out Izzie was the first one to meet him after his long absence, she sure as hell would break up with him.

_I will just go home and give Cristina a surprise. _Burke was contemplating hiding himself in his comfortable bed, waiting for his lover's return. The cab driver almost hit the wrong pedal when he saw the self-absorbed grin on Burke's face from the mirror.


	4. Chapter 4

**Things are getting clear, aren't they? **

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" George felt uncomfortable when Cristina came out of the dressing room in a green dress with subtle floral patterns pressed on the lace.

"Why not? Remember I'm a hot person? I'm hot in every color."

"I mean, are you sure your mother would be OK with green?" George thought the dress was amazing, but he was dwelling in his guilt that everything did not look right.

Cristina dragged him out last minute to try out the dress and he had to lie to Burke that Callie was sick. He could have told Cristina right away he was going to the airport, but Burke did not want anyone else to know. Meredith also told George that Cristina did not want Burke to know. _There's so much secrecy between this couple!_

"Who cares about my mother? Isn't she causing me enough trouble yet?"

The salesgirl was bewildered as Cristina squashed the dress into a bundle.

Burke was surprised to find his apartment immaculately clean. He did not know Cristina had transformed her feelings for him into an obsession with cleaning the house. His medical journals were piled up next to the coffee table, his CDs arranged alphabetically, his shirts hung according to their respective colors. Even the bedspread and the towels in the bathroom were matched.

After unpacking his stuff and having a long hot shower, he slid into bed and made sure the room was dark so that Cristina would be surprised. It was probably hours before he heard the turning of the key.

_Ouch._ Cristina did not give him a chance to surprise her when she hurled the bag onto her bed. She thought the bed jumped, but it was too dark for her to tell what was going on.

"Cris, Dad and your mom will be coming over in an hour to look at your dress."Burke thought Cristina frowned when she heard the voice message, but before he had a chance to take a good look at her, she had already dashed into the bathroom.

_Who was this guy? _Burke did not like the level of intimacy permeating the message.

When he saw the words printed across the bag, chill went down his spine. _Wedding Bells? _


	5. Chapter 5

**To answer your question…**

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Cristina wanted a long hot shower, but she knew her mom would not be too happy to wait. What she did not realize was that those 10 minutes were like years for Burke, who had been waiting eagerly to be holding her, hugging her, and simply watching her again.

When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, she thought the heat was giving her a hallucination.

"Burke?" Then she lowered her head a bit, as if something was missing. Strangely, she felt compelled to step back into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Cristina—" Burke could not believe it. _Why did she have to be shy? We've seen each other so many times already._

"Burke." Before long, Cristina came out with a huge bath towel that hid her curves.

_What else was she hiding?_

"Cristina." Burke had a million questions in mind but was not sure which one to fire at her, or if he had the legitimacy to do that at all. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Did you just get back?" The formal cordiality in her voice made him shudder.

"Yea…" Burke and Cristina were standing face to face in an awkward manner. "Cristina, who's that guy on the phone?"

"That's Mike—"

"Who's he?" Burke was not satisfied with her response.

"He's a lawyer. I knew him from Stanford." Everything was happening so quickly that Cristina did not process the question adequately to realize Burke's jealousy.

"I see. So you two are—" _Cristina Yang, it's only been 5 months and you're replacing me with a lawyer?_ Burke felt a lump in his throat.

"What?" Too many things were running across her mind. When the bell rang, Cristina's beady eyes were wide-open in a state of panic. "No way. It's my mother."


	6. Chapter 6

**Not fun anymore. No more suspense.**

Cristina almost dropped her towel as she rushed to get the door. Burke stepped forwarded to hold her towel but instead Cristina ran back to the bedroom to slip on the green dress.

"Do I look OK?" Cristina asked.

Burke wished he could be mad at her for ignoring his feelings, but instinctively he offered, "You are beautiful." _And I mean it. I want you Cristina Yang. Why can't I have you?_

"Look at you, Cristina, why did you pick a green dress?" Helen saw that as a solid proof that her daughter hated her.

"Mom, I look better in green—"

"Why do you have to ruin your mother's happiness every single time?" Helen whined as she pushed a handsome-looking but soft-spoken man into the apartment.

"Hi, I am Mark. Mike's dad. We met at his graduation before."

"Hi." Cristina was not in the mood to be nice anymore. "Mom. I don't want to be part of this anymore. Why do you always have to make me feel like an ugly person?"

"Cristina, you look beautiful." Burke mumbled from behind.

"Hi, Dr. Burke. I'm Mark Phillips. I work at Mercy and have heard about so many great things about you!"_ When mother and daughter quarreled, the best thing for a man to do was to stay as far away from it as possible._

"Hi, Dr. Phillips." _No wonder this man looked familiar._ Burke was surprised that Mark recognized him."So your son Mark and Cristina will soon become—"

"Brother and sister." Mark gave a fatherly grin. "I am so fortunate to have run into Helen again after all these years."

"Oh." It was only then that Burke realized whose wedding it was.

"Cristina didn't tell us you'd be back in time for the wedding. I hope it's not too late to send you an invitation. Helen has already invited everyone at Seattle Grace to join."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7 is up. Thanks for the reviews. This isn't the end of the story yet.**

Mark had been very fond of Cristina when she was introduced to him as Mike's girlfriend at Stanford. He was stunned by her sharp-wit. As a widower, he had always wanted Cristina to become his daughter-in-law some day.

_Too bad Cristina wasn't really Mike's girlfriend. _Sometimes, Mark still lamented over the fact that his son only loved men. Nonetheless, he was very happy that finally, after Helen's recent divorce, they found one another and they could finally become a family.

"It'd be wonderful to have you with us, Dr. Burke." Already feeling a father's love for Cristina, Mark's face lit up as the two men continued to talk. "I heard it's her first time to be the maid-of-honor, she must be thrilled."

Cristina heard that and immediately fought back, "Mark. I don't know how you could stand my mom. Either you tell her I will wear this dress or count me out."

"You look great, Cristina."

Helen rolled her eyes in disbelief and gave in whenboth men complimented her daughter in one voice. "Fine."

"By the way, Dr. Burke, welcome back to Seattle!" Helen threw him an icy _I-still-don't-want-you-to-be-with-my-daughter _kind of look.

Cristina caught that in her mother's eyes and her feet naturally took her to Burke, while her arm automatically wrapped around his, as if trying to come to his defense.

They were so close once again that Burke could smell her shampoo. The aroma of _ginger and green tea_ infiltrated the air, so did love.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a short transitional chapter**

"So you told him?"

"Yes." Cristina replied. "I mean, no. He found out."

"Oh." Meredith asked her friend as they car-pooled to work. "Do you feel weird that your mom is marrying your ex's father?"

"Mikes's not my ex. He's gay."

"And Burke knows?"

"Meredith, everything is fine. Now I only need to get a few more hot surgeries under my belt before playing the supportive daughter this weekend. Two days, that's my limit. She should pay me."

"Cristina, weddings are cute, and she's your mom." The image of Finn proposing to her popped up in Meredith's head, before his head slowly transformed into Derek's. Meredith was stunned by the imagery and shivered a little.

"That's the problem. My mother is the problem. Weddings are problems."

"Right." Meredith tried to sound reassuring. "It's not your wedding. Don't worry."

Cristina found Meredith's comment oddly ironic. _This is exactly what I am worried about. Burke is so excited about it. What if he proposes again? _

On the surface they were doing fine. Burke fit into her life perfectly once he was back, as if he had never been away. He made coffee and toast, and she ate them. He watched and smiled, and she kissed him goodbye. She threw herself onto the bed, and he would cuddle her.

The smoothness scared her. It was like oxygen. _It's so readily available that you don't think about it. But when you do, it freaks you out to realize that a slight change in its quantity or composition could kill._

Clearly, Burke wanted more. And Cristina? She was not sure.

They needed to talk.


	9. Chapter 9

**Burke's POV**

"O'Malley." Burke deliberately went to locker room to look for George. "I need your help."

"Yes, Sir. Which surgery am I scrubbing in for?" George was excited that the best heart surgeon in Seattle was back in town.

"You're not scrubbing in, George. I… we have to go and do some shopping."

_Shopping with Dr. Burke? Am I going crazy or is he?_

As if reading his thoughts, Burke explained, "I need to get ready for the wedding on Saturday. Cristina doesn't like shopping—"

"OK." George wondered since when he had become the best shopping companion.

Burke walked leisurely towards the cafeteria. He saw the interns chatting happily in one corner, with the exception of Cristina, who was busy talking on the phone with her mom. Not expecting her to glance back, he gently smiled at her and went to grab a sandwich.

The Swiss experience had definitely humbled Burke. He was learning to appreciate life more and was thankful that both his girlfriend and his surgical skills all came back to him naturally.

_Although it's so natural that sometimes it doesn't feel right._ True, he and Cristina functioned so well as a couple that they knew when to pass the salt and when to say "I Love You" before either of them made a demand. Yet, the ease with which things were going actually made him feel less secure than the days when they would fight over little things.

_Are we falling into the habit of love, or are we in love?_ Burke knew that was a silly question to ponder on, but he knew that sooner or later they would have to talk.

Before that, he had to find everything he needed during the shopping trip.


	10. Chapter 10

**Back at home**

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"I bought a tux." Burke did not go home empty-handed after torturing George O'Malley for 4 hours.

"Good. What color?"Crisina didn't look up from the ironing board-- in 5 months she had finally managed to handle the iron as long as undivided attention was paid.

"White," Burke flashed a sexy smile. "It goes well with your green dress."

"Thank you for doing that." _For me._ Cristina responded in a quiet voice, trying to understand why she was being so polite. _Last week I thought I had to go to the stupid wedding alone. Now I have Burke to go with me._

"Cristina, I'm your boyfriend. That's what boyfriend is for."

"Sure," Cristina sat down beside him, distracted by his radiant smile.She wasglad to have him, but she was scared he would say something further."Burke, you won't do anything funny at the wedding, will you?"

_What sort of a question is this?_ Burke did not know what to say, but he missed this bluntness of his curly head girlfriend. _This is more like my Cristina._

"Like hiding the maid-of-honor in the basement?" Burke blinked.

Cristina tightened her eyebrows a little, as if telling him not to mess with her. "No rings, no proposal. OK?"

Burke almost chocked.

"You know my mother wouldn't be pleased if I became the focus of attention on her wedding day." _Lame excuse, but that's the best I could provide at this point._

"OK. I promise I won't, Cristina." Burke was mildly discouraged by her words but he appreciated the fact that Cristina was open enough to share her concern with him.

Seeing that Burke did not seem to be particularly hurt, Cristina gave a tiny sigh of relief. "Good."

"Want to order pizza tonight? I am starving." _Proposals could wait, her stomach could not._


	11. Chapter 11

**I didn't want to disappoint anyone in the last chapter. It's just that I find it kind of unromantic to be proposing in the living room. (Someone please challenge me with a fan fic!). This is a longer chapter. I just can't chop things up.**

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"Thank you for coming."

"She'll be ready soon."

"Yes, I am sure she'll love the silverware."

"My pleasure. Nice to meet you too."

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Cristina could not remember being so polite for a long time, not since her internship interviews.

"Hey George. Oh, HELLO, Callie. I'm so glad you're here." Callie was grabbing George's arm tightly, returning Cristina's sneer with a forced smile.

"Why are you standing here? Shouldn't you be helping your mom?" George had never been a maid-of-honor before, and probably never would, but he knew she was not supposed to be welcoming guests like a cinema usher.

"I told you. That woman hates me. It's scorching out here. She wants my make-up to melt so I'll lookugly. That way people would pay attention to her, not her gorgeous daughter."

George smiled nervously as Cristina got carried away. Callie elbowed him, signaling it was time to go. "I'll catch you later, Cristina."

Cristina waved the hymn book frantically as a fan before it slipped out of her hand and landedone inch in front of the next guest.

"Yang. Do you know what'll happen if you kill your resident on your mother's wedding day?" Bailey adjusted her scarf as she walked into the church with her husband.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Bailey. I—"

"Don't worry, Cristina. It's a happy day. Dr. Bailey will forgive you, am I correct, Dr. Bailey?" The Chief chuckled as he saw what happened.

"Hello, Chief. Thanks for coming." _How many more times do I have to smile today? I think my facial muscle is going to have a spasm._

Just then, she saw her best friend arriving with Finn, who was chatting with Addison and Derek.

"Cristina, George is right. You look beautiful in this dress!" Meredith gave her friend a gentle hug.

Pulling Meredith aside, Cristina was curious, "since when have the four of you become friends?"

"Cristina, we're not friends. They're not friends. You, are my friend." Meredith responded in her typical choppy manner. "But today you can't be my friend. You have to be a daughter. So, I brought Finn. Nobody goes to a wedding alone."

Finn was waving at them and Meredith went back to her crowd.

_Nobody goes to a wedding alone._

_Screw it. I am alone. Where is Burke?_


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews, and just be patient!**

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"I'm sure Dr. Burke will be here soon." Mark noticed Cristina was still standing by the entrance.

"Oh, it doesn't matter." With some effort, Cristina raised her cheekbones. "If he still doesn't show up, I'll go find some hot-shot Mercy attendings later."

Her new step-father was confused by her joke and scratched his ear.

"In the presence of God and our friends I take thee to be my wife…"

Oblivious to the ceremony, Cristina scanned the church. She saw Meredith tearing up a little, her head resting on Finn but her gaze falling upon Derek, who was starring blankly into the ceiling as Addison whispered something to him. She saw the shoulders of George and Callie drawing closer, and Adele touching the Chief's forehead affectionately.

_Why am I paying attention to all these? Cristina Yangnever pays attention to people's love life._

"Hey Cristina, time to go." Cristina nearly tripped as she followed the newly-weds out to the backyard. There she caught a glimpse of a very handsome man in white tuxedo.

Cristina expected he would come to her and was consumed by an uncomfortable feeling of disappointment when he did not. _Fine. I told you not to do anything funny but I didn't tell you to stand there and do nothing!_

A woman's mind was harder to crack than a maze. On the one hand, Cristina was relieved Burke did not come to her with anything embarrassing at her mother's wedding. On the other hand, she had been waiting for him all morning and now she was very much in need of a solid kiss and an embrace that she could lose herself in.

_I am not going to walk towards you, Cristina. _The grin on Burke's face expressed nothing more than that.

"Burke's there, Cristina." Meredith thought Cristina had not noticed.

Cristina turned around, her back facing Burke, replied with a mildly sour look on her face. "He's late. If he doesn't come to me, I won't go to him."

"C'mon, Cristina—Oh, look, he's talking to George and Callie now."

_Is he playing games with me?_ Cristina was growing impatient.


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't want to drag on, but I need to do the characters some justice by giving them enough airtime!**

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"Cristina, smile! Can't you be a pleasant child for one day?" Helen was annoyed that her daughter caught the bridal bouquet with a pout.

_Bad luck. I should have let this thing fall straight to the ground._

Cristina realized that although she could function well on her own in the hospital, she could not bear to be the only one without a date at a wedding.

"Don't he ever dream of me allowing him into the room tonight. What kind of a boyfriend is this? Avoiding his girlfriend at the wedding?" Cristina was fuming as she re-arranged her hair in the basement with Meredith, who was now turning goofy.

"What's it, Meredith?"

"Nothing. Cristina, you don't look like your mother."

"Excuse me?"

"You're a better person, stronger, smarter. You'll have a good marriage. You will." Meredith said matter-of-factly as she combed her hair.

"Since when have you turned psychic, Meredith?" Cristina tried to ignore the remark and continued to pin her hair in silence.

Bailey's voice broke off like an ambulance siren. "What are you two doing here? The wedding is over. Everyone is heading to the hotel for the dinner party. Ten more seconds and you'll be out of here! Now, go!"

Meredith and Cristina looked at one another and burst into laughter. The Nazi in Bailey never took a day off.

"I'm so tired. I don't want to go to the dinner." Cristina was done with her hair and slouched in the armchair.

"No, you have to go."

"What if Burke doesn't come and sit with me?" Cristina was caught off guard by her slip of tongue. Until then, she didn't notice how much she desired him.


	14. Chapter 14

**I lost this chapter while I was editing. I hope I still remember what this is. (I have Ch. 13 and 15 to refer to when I rewrote this...)**

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_I hope it'll work._ Burke was really anxious. Earlier, George told him how upset Cristina seemebecause he did not show up at the ceremony. _But the thing was only ready this morning..._

When he eavesdropped Cristina's conversation with Meredith, Burke chuckled.

_"What if Burke doesn't come and sit with me? Must be what I said last night. He's punishing me now."_

Knock Knock.

"Dr. Bailey, give us 3 more seconds." Cristina squeezed her swollen feet back into her heels and jumped up from the armchair, only to fall back into it the moment she saw her man.

"Cristina."

"Burke."

Meredith sneaked out of the room.

"You were late." Cristina spilled out the three words in a non-accusing monotone.

"Yes, I was." Burke smiled slyly.

"And you didn't approach me at the wedding."

"No, I didn't."

"Were you mad at me?" Cristina was clearly speeding up as she asked this question.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Burke raised his brows in his Mickey-mouse way.

"You know what I'm saying."

Without saying a word, Burke walked towards Cristina and held her hand. He massaged her neck tenderly before drawing her closer to him.

"Cristina, you have a long beautiful neck." Cristina felt a strange sensation around her neck. Instinctively their lips met.

It was the longest and deepest kiss that ever took place at that church basement.


	15. Chapter 15

**The final chapter for now. It was fun writing this story. I am going to miss it a lot!**

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Sitting on his lap, Cristina pulled out the necklace and examined the two tiny wedding bells attached to it. "What's this for?"

"I promised I would not propose during the wedding, but you never said I couldn't afterwards."

"Are you proposing now—" Although Burke had already expected the worst, it was the serenity in Cristina's expression that shocked him the most.

Cristina was not sure what he would say next, but her entire body felt light in his embrace and she did not want to move.

Burke hesitated to say yes, for fear of shattering this perfect moment in their relationship when Cristina prompted, "so—"

"Cristina, I love you. It doesn't matter whether I'm proposing to you today, tomorrow, or next year, because I know we'll always be together."

Burke looked intently at Cristina. There was nothing to hide between the two of them.

"But now that you've given me a necklace, you've tofix a date. I am a well-prepared person." Cristina slowly took one of the bells off her necklace. "I don't want to wake up one morning and be told I'd be getting married the next day."

The seriousness in Cristina's voice made Burke laugh.

Slowly and clumsily, Cristina hooked the bell onto the necklace around Burke's neck. "Ok, we're all set."

"All we need is a date?" Burke inquired innocently.

"And a dress."

"Not a tux?"

"Save the money for my dress. This white tux is fine." Cristina ran her fingers down his jacket. "Besides, you need to show off your sexy spouse to the world, but I don't need to show off mine."

"Why not?"

"A wife wouldn't want anyone to stalk on her husband and have steamy fantasies about him." Cristina continued, "too many crazy people in this world. You never know."

To that, both of them grinned.


End file.
